Indianapolis Museum Aims To Be At Forefront of 3D Printing Revolution

WVXU recently released an interesting peak inside the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site museum in Indianapolis. For those who are not already aware, Benjamin Harrison “was the 23rd president of the United States, who was born in North Bend, Ohio; graduated from Miami University, and University of Cincinnati’s Law School, and made his home in Indiana.”

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site museum features 2D and 3D artifacts totaling 10,000 pieces – all focusing on the former president. This institution has also been at the forefront of the additive manufacturing revolution. Indeed, it “was one of the first museums to offer free 3D printing of its art collection, all in an effort to make it more accessible to the public.” Now, the museum “hopes to be a model for other museums around the country.”

“The New Century eCollection Initiative – funded by the Lilly Endowment, a private philanthropic organization supporting religion, education, and community – allows printing [of the museum’s collection.]” This also marked a partnership between the museum and Indiana University-Purdue University, IUPUI.

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site’s President and CEO Charlie Hyde concluded: “this forward-looking initiative will open up an extraordinary range of original materials for exploration never before accessible in this way. It will allow us as a museum to better preserve our collection for future generations by visually documenting artifacts in their entirety and open up new channels for the thrill of discovery.”